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PREPARATION FOR DEATH: 

A 

SERMON 

ON 

THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH 

OF 

LT. COL. ALEXANDER RAMSAY THOMPSON, 

OF THE U. S. ARMY, 

WHO WAS KILLED IN BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS, AT OKEE-CKO-BEE, FLORIDA, 
DECEMBER "25, 1837, 

Delivered in the Middle Dutch Church, February 11, 1838. 

BY THE 

REV. JOHN KNOX, D.D. 

SENIOR PASTOR OF THE REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CRURCH OF THE 
CITY OF NEW-YORK. 



NEW-YORK: 
PRINTED BY WILLIAM OSBORN, 

88 WILLIAM-STREET. 

1838. 



New-York, February 15, 1838. 

Mv Dear Sir, 

I feel truly thankful to you, for acceding to my request, to pre- 
pare and deliver a Funeral Discourse, on the occasion of the death of my beloved 
and deeply lamented husband, Col. A. R. Thompson, U. S. Army. 

I listened to it with the deepest interest, and it afforded satisfaction in my grief 
for his loss. The able and eloquent manner in which you performed the service, 
I shall ever remember with grateful sentiments. 

Many of his associates in arms could not hear it. Believing that it will afford 
them also a high degree of satisfaction, I respectfully solicit, in my own behalf, 
and in behalf of my immediate relatives, a copy for publication. 
I am, dear sir, 

With the highest respect and esteem, 
Rev. John Knox, D. D. Mary W, Thompson. 



Rev. and Dear Sir, 

We cordially unite with our sister, the afflieted widow of the 
late Col. A. R. Thompson, U. S. Army, in soliciting from you a copy of your elo- 
quent and excellent Sermon, delivered on the occasion of his death, with a view to 
its publication. • 

We are, dear sir, 

Your obliged and grateful friends, 

William R. Thompson, 
Rev. Dr. Knox. Elias Nexsen. 

New-York, February 15, 1838. 



To Mrs. Col. Thompson, William R. Thompson,) Esq., and Elias Nexsen, Esq. 

My Esteemed Friends, 

In acceding to your request, preferred in a manner so kind, I 
cannot but regret that the pressure of other and unavoidable duties prevented me 
from bestowing upon the ample materials illustrative of Col. Thompson's cha- 
racter, a more deliberate and careful attention. I feel sure, however, that I have 
neither mistaken, nor exaggerated his character, and that the tribute rendered to 
his memory is most cordial. It is not merely sympathy with you, in the pain of 
your bereavement, that I feel — I am a sharer in your grief j and fully do I realize, 
that I myself have lost a friend. 

Accept the assurance of most respectful, and affectionate regards, 

From yours, truly, 

John Knox, 

February 16, 1838. 



A SERMON. 



Matthew xxiv. 44. Therefore, be ye also ready ; for in such an hour, as ye think 
not, the Son of Man cometh. 

Without detaining you by prefatory remarks, I 
propose to consider, 

1st. The event to which the text refers. 
2d. The preparation necessary to meet it. 
3d. The urgency of the exhortation. 

1st. The event — the coming of the Son of Man. 
Subsequent to the incarnation of the Redeemer, va- 
rious other instances of his coming are spoken of ; 
and different advents are repeatedly announced in a 
single prediction. Events of a corresponding cha- 
racter not unfrequently are successively evolved, in 
the gradual and germinant fulfilment of the same 
prophecy. 

The immediate reference of the text, was un- 
doubtedly to the approaching destruction and deso- 
lation of Jerusalem — the coming of the Son of Man 
to execute his judgments upon the rebellious Jews, 
of which he gave them repeated, and most impress- 



6 



ive warning. " In those days," said he, " shall be 
affliction, such as was not from the beginning 
of the creation, which God created, unto this 
time." " They shall fall by the edge of the sword, 
and shall be led away captive into all nations, and 
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, 
until the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled." — 
About forty years subsequent to the prediction, all 
this came to pass. Jerusalem was besieged by the 
Romans under Titus ; its inhabitants miserably 
perished, and the beautiful and holy city was laid in 
utter ruins. Then came to pass that which had 
been spoken, " the days shall come, that thine ene- 
mies shall cast a trench round about thee, and com- 
pass thee round on every side, and shall lay thee even 
with the ground, and thy children within thee ; and 
they shall not leave within thee one stone upon ano- 
ther, because thou knewest not the time of thy visi- 
tation." Then were glorified the power and justice 
of that blessed One, who had wept over Jerusalem, 
and whose mercy she had rejected. 

The Christian Jews, believing and improving the 
warnings which they had received, and watchful of 
coming events, had previously fled and thus escaped. 

But, the text also, and with equal certainty, refers 
to another coming of the Son of Man, of a far more 
universal importance to mankind — his coming to 
judge the world* Men are responsible to God. 



7 



" Every one of us shall give account of himself to 
God" — and, " the Father judgeth no man, but hath 
committed all judgment unto the Son." " God hath 
appointed a day in which he will judge the world in 
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, 
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in 
that he hath raised him from the dead." " We must 
all stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and receive 
according to the deeds done in the body, whether it 
be good, or whether it be evil." In reference to 
this are we exhorted, "Be ye also ready, for in such 
an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." 
" The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the 
night." " As the days of Noah were, so shall also 
the coming of the Son of Man be" — "Watch ye, 
therefore ; for ye kuow not what hour your Lord 
shall come." " Take heed unto yourselves, lest — 
that day come upon you unawares." 

There is still another event to which the text re- 
fers — an intermediate coming of the Son of Man — 
that which is to us individually, what the general 
judgment is to mankind, the period of death, in which 
he comes to call us hence ; to summon us to judg- 
ment, and to fix our final destiny ; and for which, it 
infinitely concerns us to be ready. Like the wake- 
ful householder guarded against surprise ; like the 
faithful servant expecting his lord's return, having 
our loins girded, our lights burning, and we in the 



8 



attitude of expectation, that whether he comes in the 
second watch, or in the third watch, we may open to 
him immediately. 

With onr departure from the world, the Son of 
Man has a direct agency. " I go," said he to his 
disciples, " to prepare a place for you ; and if I go 
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and 
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye 
may be also." He is Lord of the living and of the 
dead. "I am he that liveth and was dead, and am 
alive for evermore, and have the keys of death, and 
of the worlds unseen." 

Death is to each one of us an event of indescriba- 
ble interest and importance. It is certain and in- 
evitable. Come it will. Meet it, we must. It is 
not a thing that may, or may not happen. " There 
is no discharge in this war." " What man is he that 
liveth, and shall not see death 1" No retreat is 
found where we may turn aside and avoid the en- 
counter. No defence, where we may entrench our- 
selves, and successfully resist the assault. 

Beneath its resistless, relentless power, not only 
are feeble infancy and decrepid age trodden in the 
dust, but the loveliness of beauty fades away, and 
the strength of manhood perishes. " No man hath 
power over the spirit, to retain the spirit, neither hath 
he power in the day of his death." In many a fright- 
ful form does death approach the children of men, in 



9 



wasting disease, torturing pains, and sudden vio- 
lence. It is all around us. Our race is its prey. 
Under its empire our world has become a vale of 
tears. 

O what desolating bereavements are endured ! 
How does nature bleed, and the sweet affections of 
the heart expose us to anguish ! " Man goeth to his 
long home, and the mourners go about the streets." 
Whose heart hath not been stricken 1 It separates 
soul and body, severs the connexion of mortals with 
earth, breaks up all their schemes, quenches their 
worldly joys, sunders every tie, tears them away from 
the objects of their fondest affection, consigns the 
body to corruption and dust, and the soul to its last 
account, to receive according to the deeds done in 
the body ; and meet the retributions of eternity — its 
amazing glories, or its overwhelming horrors — the 
joys ineffable, or the fires unquenchable. For death, 
therefore, we are admonished — O how impressively 
are we admonished ! — to be ready. 

Wherein consists the preparation necessary to 
meet it, we proposed, in the second place, to inquire. 

It is not found in any of those objects which mor- 
tals are prone most earnestly to covet, and most 
eagerly to pursue ; in no attainment of a mere worldly 
kind. Not in riches — men may amass great estates, 
without being rich towards God, or heirs of an ende- 

2 



10 



ring inheritance ; and when death comes, it comes 
to strip them of all that they possess. The pursuit 
and possession of riches, to secure which so many 
defer all else, instead of preparing men to encounter 
the last enemy, are wont to prove the most fatal 
hindrances to such preparation, and to invest death 
with increased terrors. " Covetousness is idolatry, 
and ye know that no idolater hath eternal life abiding 
in him." " How hardly shall they that have riches, 
enter into the kingdom of heaven !" Men may be 
arrayed in purple and fine linen, and fare sumptu- 
ously every day, and have their good things in the 
present life, and, at last, death introduce them to 
torments unmitigated and hopeless. They may live 
in pleasure on the earth, and then lie down in 
sorrow. 

Nor does preparation consist in ivorldly honor : 
the praise of men, or any form of earthly power and 
greatness — any of those things after which ambition 
pants. Death regards none of these distinctions. It 
is no respecter of persons. Many a one whose fame 
filled the world has gone away into shame and ever- 
lasting contempt. No degree of civil and social vir- 
tue — no self-devoted patriotism — no splendor of re- 
nown, however w 7 on, can bestow a title to heaven. 
The man who w T as hailed by the enthusiastic plau- 
dits of the multitude as a god— smitten by the visi- 



11 



ble, awful judgment of heaven, even on this side of 
death, became a wretched and a loathsome object. 

Nor yet will that which is the reliance of so many, 
comparative blamelessness and usefulness of life, 
and the observance, more or less exact, of the out- 
ward forms of religion and morality, be found any 
adequate preparation for leaving the world. There 
must be a better righteousness than this — a better 
righteousness than scribes and pharisees can boast 
— a better righteousness than by our own utmost 
efforts we can work out, or we shall in no wise enter 
the kingdom of heaven. Death will be our ruin. 
" By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be jus- 
tified." 

Brethren, death is not, as some men mistakenly 
call it, " the debt of nature?" It is the penalty of 
guilt — the dreadful result of the transgression of 
God's law — the wages of sin. It entered by sin, its 
sting is sin, and never is it harmless but to those 
whose sin is taken away. The very reason why all 
men die, is that all have sinned. The law of God 
has been violated, and God's law knows no relaxa- 
tion in its demands. So malignant a thing is sin 
against God, that it never can escape its jost and 
awful punishment. At the very foundation of our 
preparation for death, therefore, lies deliverance from 
sin ; and had not mercy interposed, in a way honor- 
able to the law, and justice, and government of God, 



12 



the perdition of our whole race would have been as 
inevitable as is the perdition of apostate angels. 
But, a Saviour has been provided, and salvation 
achieved. God sent forth his Son into the world to 
be the propitiation for our sins. " He has died, the 
just for the unjust, that he might bring sinners unto 
God." " Through death he destroyed death, and 
him that had the power of it ;" and he is the hope 
set before sinners in the gospel. " In him we have 
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of 
sins according to the riches of his grace." From sin 
there is no Saviour besides him. There is no con- 
queror of death but the Son of God ; and none but 
the man who is interested in " the resurrection and 
the life," is prepared to die. " He that hath the Son 
hath life ; and he that hath not the Son, shall not 
see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." 
" He that believeth, shall be saved ; and he that be- 
lieveth not shall be damned." " There is no con- 
demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." That 
he might be found in him, was the reigning desire 
of Paul's heart. " The name of the Lord is a strong 
tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." 
Neither life nor death, things present — nor things to 
come, can separate from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord. " Thanks be unto God, 
who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 



13 



Christ." " Blessed are the dead who die in the 
Lord." 

In " repentance towards God, and faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ," therefore — in the forgiveness of 
sin, and the regeneration and sanctification of the 
Spirit — in being formed to holiness, and fitted for the 
fellowship of heaven, consists the preparation for 
death and judgment. And these are indispensable. 
They belong to the elements of Christianity, and 
Christianity is an exclusive system. It is God's plan 
of salvation, and there is no substitute for it to be 
found. Let no human being who would find mercy 
of the Lord in his last hour, venture to neglect the 
salvation of Christ. The message from the throne 
is, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
he saved ;" and as the Lord is righteous and true, 
every other refuge will fail. 

But to be actually ready for coming events, to be 
guarded against surprise, and prepared to meet them 
with cheerful and joyous confidence, it is necessary 
that the graces of the Spirit be in lively exercise. 
There must be frequent and careful self-examination, 
habitual diligence, holy circumspection, fervency in 
prayer, and an earnest looking for, and hasting unto, 
the coming of our Lord, so that that day come not 
upon us unawares. We are to live, not to our- 
selves, but unto him who loved us and gave himself 
for us ; keeping the end of our course constantly in 



14 



view ; and as strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, 
pressing towards the mark for the prize of our high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus ; each one in the place 
and relations assigned him doing and enduring the 
will of God. " Blessed is that servant whom his 
Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing." " Mark 
the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end 
of that man is peace." 

It remains that we consider, thirdly, the urgency 
of the exhortation, " Be ye also ready, for in such 
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" 

My dear hearers, whatever else may be neglected 
or postponed, let no one venture to live regardless of 
the coming of the Son of Man. In nothing else 
have we so deep a concern. The preparation for it 
to which we are called is the very purpose of life. 
If in this we fail, in whatever else we succeed, it were 
good for us that we had never been born. 

The event is not only, as we have already seen, 
certain, and absolutely free from all contingency, but 
the period of its occurrence is to us unknown. It is 
usually in such an hour as men think not. Unex- 
pected death, and sudden death, are of no rare 
occurrence. " Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for 
thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." 
Who can certainly tell whether he is not at this 
moment enjoying the last means, and the last oppor- 



15 



tunity of preparation for eternity ! And eternity is 
at stake — to heaven or to hell, death is the avenue ! 
O how it behooves us to be ever ready — to be ready 
now ! If, when the Son of Man comes, you are 
found unprepared, your souls are lost ; the door of 
mercy will be shut, and for ever unavailing will 
be your bitter cries. "He that is unjust will be 
unjust still ; and he that is filthy, filthy still." 
O ! it is a crisis never again to happen — a loss never 
to be repaired. Then will it be too late for ever to 
make your peace with God, and prepare for judg- 
ment. And " Can thine heart endure, or can thine 
hands be strong in the day that the Lord shall deal 
with thee?" O ! dismay ! — O ! horror insupportable ! 
They shall " call to the mountains and rocks, Fall 
on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth 
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." 

These things, dear hearers, are not the imaginings 
of fanaticism. They are fearful realities. To dis- 
regard them is not wisdom, not courage, but folly 
and madness. 

" In that lone land of deep despair 

No Sabbath's heavenly light shall rise ; 
No God regard your bitter prayer, 

Nor Savior call you to the skies- 
While God invites, how bless'drthe day, 

How sweet the gospel's charming sound ; 
Come, sinners, haste, O ! haste away, 

While yet a pardoning God he's found. 



16 



Let no time, no opportunity be neglected. " Work 
out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is 
God who worketh in you, to will and to do of his 
good pleasure." " Whatsoever your hands find to 
do, do it with your might, for there is no work, nor 
knowledge, nor device in the grave, whither ye are 
hasting." " Be ye ready, also, that ye may be 
counted worthy to stand before the Son of Man." 

Thus prepared, in the sweet hope of glory, know- 
ing that if the earthly house of this tabernacle be 
dissolved, you have a building of God, an house not 
made with hands, eternal, in the heavens, death 
will be welcomed as the messenger of your release. 

" Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." 

This subject, my hearers, derives impressiveness 
from the frequent and affecting dispensations of 
Divine Providence which fall under our observation, 
and make their appeal to our hearts. 

To one of these dispensations, the recent, sudden, 
and unlooked for removal by death of the late Col. 
Alexander R. Thompson, a beloved member of 
this church, you will permit me to refer. 

I am duly sensible of the delicacy and danger of 
the frequent introduction into the public exercises of 
the pulpit, of the names and history of deceased 
Christians. The fact, however, that Col. Thomp- 
son lived and died a public man ; the peculiar cir= 



17 



cumstances of his lamented death ; and his decidedly 
Christian character in a profession, which, to say the 
least, cannot be regarded as favorable to the culti- 
vation of piety, it is believed, remove his case out of 
the range of dangerous precedent, whilst it may fur- 
nish a useful practical enforcement of our subject. 

Alexander R. Thompson was a native of New- 
York, and a son of Captain Alexander Thompson, 
an officer who served with honor and reputation in 
the army of the revolution ; and subsequently died, 
in the service of the United States, at West Point, 
in 1809. His mother, Amelia De Hart, was a 
daughter of Dr. Mathias De Hart, of Elizabethtown, 
New- Jersey. 

The circumstances of his birth were favorable to 
the formation of a taste for military life ; and his ju- 
venile sports had all a bearing on the particular duties 
of that profession. He was ever fearless, enterpri- 
sing and adventurous ; and was often in imminent 
peril. 

At an early age he entered the military academy 
at West Point, and at the age of 17, upon the break- 
ing out of the war of 1812, he received a lieutenant's 
commission, and joined the army at the North. Sub- 
sequently, he passed through various successive 
grades of promotion in rank. It belongs not to this 
place, nor to my present purpose, to attempt a de- 
tailed account of his military career. His life was 

8 



18 



one of action ; and into every scene, he brought a 
high-souled sense of honor, a spirit of devotion to 
his duty, and an energy, that dispensed benefit to 
his country, and won reputation to himself. 

At the siege of Plattsburgh, he, in command of an 
hundred men, gallantly defended a pass which the 
British troops endeavored to force. When the army 
was re-organized on the peace establishment, in 
1815, he was retained in service ; and during the 
most of the intervening time, he has been in command 
at different posts on our remote frontiers. His field 
of service has perhaps been greater than that of any 
other officer of the same rank in the army ; and the 
results of his efforts for the improvement of those 
under his command, were seen in the well disciplined 
and efficient duties performed by them. And every 
post where he has been stationed, from the outlet of 
Lake Superior to the borders of the Sabine, and even 
to the fatal Hammocks of Florida, bears witness to 
the devotion, enterprise and energy of this faithful 
servant of his country. In the autumn of 1836, Col. 
Thompson and his troops joined the army in Flori- 
da ; where he continued to partake of the perils and 
hardships of the disastrous conflict raging there, and 
not yet ended ; until the 25th of Dec. last, when he 
fell, in battle with the Indians, at Okee-cho-bee. 

The particulars of this closing scene of his life are 



19 



sufficiently told in the official despatch of Col. Tay- 
lor, his commanding officer. 

" It is due to his rank and talents, as well as to 
his long and important services, that I particularly 
mention Lt. Col. Thompson of the 6th Infantry, 
who fell in the discharge of his duty at the head of his 
regiment. He was in feeble health, brought on by 
exposure to this climate during last summer, refusing 
to leave the country while his regiment continued in 
it. Although he received two balls from the fire of 
the enemy, early in the action, which wounded him 
severely, yet he appeared to disregard them, and con- 
tinued to give his orders with the same coolness that 
he would have done, had his regiment been under 
review, or on any other parade duty. Advancing, 
he received a third ball, which at once deprived him 
of life. His last words were — " Keep steady, men — 
Charge the Hammock — Remember the regiment to 
which you belong. 

I had known Col. Thompson personally, only for 
a short time, and the more I knew of him, the more I 
wished to know, and had his life been spared, our 
acquaintance, no doubt, would have ripened into the 
closest friendship. Under such circumstances, there 
are but few, if any other than his bereaved wife, 
mother and sisters, who more deeply and sincerely 
lament his loss, or who will longer cherish his me- 
mory, than myself." 



20 



Another officer who was present at the fatal scene,, 
thus describes it — "The 6th regiment was gallantly 
led on by Col. Thompson. They sustained the 
whole fire of the Indians for some time, before the 
4th and 1st could come to their support. Col.Thomp- 
son had that morning, in a short and pithy address 
to his Regiment, prepared them for the scenes of 
that day. He led them firmly on, and even after he 
had received two rifle balls in his breast, he still 
maintained that firm and decided manner so peculiar 
to him ... a third ball, at once de- 
prived him of life." 

I can hardly conceive of a higher effort of heroic 
daring, than is here described. Before the din and 
excitement of battle had begun, firmly, at the head 
of his regiment, and they in advance of the other 
troops, to march through a deep morass, facing a 
savage and unpitying foe, prepared, and waiting to 
give them a deadly reception ! 

Thus fell this gallant and heroic man, honored and 
lamented of all. His escutcheon without a tarnish — 
clear and bright. 

He fell, it is true, in battle. And what disciple of 
the Prince of peace does not long for the day when 
men " shall learn war no more 1 " But, if defensive 
war is allowable ; and the genius of our government 
is not aggressive — if the forerunner of our Lord 
directed the soldiers of his day respecting their duty, 



21 



and required not of them to renounce their profession 
— if our Lord himself commended the faith of a 
Roman centurion, and rebuked not his calling — I dare 
not say that the profession of arms is one which 
every Christian is called to abjure. 

In Col. Thompson's character there was a rare 
combination of excellence. The duties of the vari- 
ous relations of life were by hirn filled up with sin- 
gular fidelity and felicity. As a son and a husband, 
he was tender and devoted. As a brother and a 
friend, he was greatly endeared. His mind was well 
balanced, and his integrity undeviating. Enjoying 
the confidence of his superiors in rank, he had the 
respect of all. He was a man of most amiable dis- 
position. He sought the welfare and the happiness 
of all around him. The very spirit of kindness dwelt 
within him. Mild and gentle, yet weighing matters 
fully, he was firm and decided. When conscience 
and duty urged, he never feared responsibility ; but, 
moved promptly forward. 

But, the crowning excellence of all, and that of 
which it best becomes me here to speak, was, that he 
was a man of God— a Christian — decided — devoted 
— consistent, and exemplary. Having long mani- 
fested a deep concern for the moral improvement 
of the men under his command, established schools 
both for the young and for the soldiers, and in vari- 
ous ways endeavored to lead them to a profitable im- 



22 



provement of their leisure time, and lent his influence 
to the promotion of Sabbath schools, and kindred ef- 
forts to do good; during the early part of 1834, he 
was on furlough in this city, at a time when consi- 
derable attention to religion existed in these 
churches. He was then constant and unwearied, 
and earnest in his attendance upon the means of 
grace. His mind was meditative and solemn. 
The Spirit of God was at work in his soul ; and 
after consideration, prayer, conference and counsel, 
having given his heart to God, his name in March, 
1834, was enrolled among the professed disciples of 
Christ. His deep humility, his self-renunciation, his 
love to the Saviour, and his overpowering sense of 
gratitude to God, manifested on that occasion, can- 
not easily be forgotten. Having performed this act, 
he retired to his home, and there, with her to whom 
he now felt himself bound by a new tie, on bended 
knees, poured out his heart in thanksgiving to God, 
who had preserved him in so many dangers, and had 
not cut him off while a stranger to his grace ; and im- 
plored help from on high to enable him to walk worthy 
of the profession he had made. 

And, from that day till the day of his death, his 
life abounded with the fruits of righteousness, which 
are by Jesus Christ to the praise of the glory of his 
grace. His religion was living, active, and control- 
ling. Indeed, my hearers, were I to spread out 



23 



before you his example, it might well rebuke many 
of us, great as are our privileges ; and might serve us 
as a model. 

He loved his Church, her ordinances, her order, 
her members, and her ministry. 

His letters breathe throughout the spirit of piety, 
trust in God, and a deep and subdued resignation, 
and submission to his will. " I neither fear the cli- 
mate," said he, " nor the savage, for my trust is on 
high." " I make little calculation, leaving all things 
to God." 

" I feel a confidence in the God in whom I trust ; 
and do not believe that he will forsake me, in the 
time of trouble, or of danger, for he is the God of 
battle." 

" I shall strive to pursue the course of a Christian 
and a soldier, and leave the result to Him who con- 
trols all our destinies." 

His habits were strictly devotional. " I often 
leave the camp for the forest sanctuary, that I may 
worship God without interruption, and offer up my 
morning prayers." When at home, he was never 
known to omit family worship — and he was constantly 
in the habit of retirement for private meditation and 
prayer on the Sabbath, when not able to attend pub- 
lic worship. A minister of the gospel never visited 
his family, without being invited to offer a prayer be- 
fore he left the house, when the servants also were 



24 



called in to join the devotional exercise. Often, and 
earnestly did he ask the prayers of God's people in 
this communion. 

He was a man of true Christian benevolence — ex- 
erting his best skill and endeavors, not only for the 
comfort, but for the moral and spiritual well-being 
of all around him. When stationed at posts where 
no opportunity of public worship was enjoyed, the 
command was invited to assemble, usually in the hos- 
pital, on the Sabbath, when religious exercises were 
performed, the Scriptures and a well selected sermon 
read, accompanied with suitable remarks. 

His standing duties on the morning of the Sabbath, 
were to visit the hospital, the sick in quarters, and 
the married families of the enlisted men, and dispense 
instruction and admonition, place little books and 
tracts in the hands of the children, and recommend 
to them the Sunday school. 

Many a time did he kneel by the pallet of the sick 
and dying soldier, and commend his precious soul 
to heaven's mercy. 

An exact disciplinarian, he nevertheless won the 
hearts of his men. He was in all respects, the sol- 
dier's friend, and a model to those whom God has 
placed in stations of influence. 

Often has he taken with him his wife and half a 
dozen men off duty, with a supply of Bibles, tracts and 
little books, and penetrated the lonely wilderness, and 



25 



visited every hamlet, and left the messages of life, 
with words suited to a work so blessed. He com- 
bined the Missionary with the soldier. His senti- 
ments were these, "the force and example of a 
commanding officer are great with his men, and 
we have in all mildness and care, used this advantage 
to do the most good in our humble walk, and thus 
far we have great cause for thankfulness." 

Whilst stationed at Newport, Ky., opposite to Cin- 
cinnati, his command was taken over the river, regu- 
larly on the Sabbath, to attend divine worship. One 
of the soldiers, a man of education and intelligence, 
became a sincere Christian, and joined the Presbyte- 
rian Church in Cincinnati, under the pastoral charge 
of the Rev. Dr. Wilson. He avowed his first im- 
pressions to have been awakened by the uniformly 
consistent and exemplary deportment of his com- 
mander, whom he had watched narrowly — at first, 
that he might find something to censure. 

In a recent letter he remarks, " I feel a greater 
desire at present to remain in the army, as I am im- 
pressed that with my rank, character and example, 
I may be the humble instrument of doing some good 
to my fellow man, in the station of the destitute, and 
private soldier." 

Again, " I am surrounded by all the pomp and cir- 
cumstance of war, but the display of command pre- 
sents but few attractions to me, except the conscien- 

4 



26 



tious discharge of my duty, for I am sensible that I 
prefer the humble and peaceful habits of the Chris- 
tian, to all the noise and bustle of the man of the 
world — and can pray for those happy days, when 
war shall cease from the earth, and when men shall 
dwell together as brethren." O ! soul of chivalry 
as he was, he had aspirings higher far, than for mere 
military renown. He sought for glory, honor and 
and immortality ; eternal life in the heavens ; and 
the love of Christ constrained him. 

He was a man of liberal, systematic, conscientious 
charity. His last annual commission, relating 
to the institutions of religion, was received in Octo- 
ber. " Give," said he, "$30 to the American Bible 
Society, $20 to the American Tract Society, $57 (an 
amount put into his hands by a dying soldier) to the 
Orphan Asylum, and distribute the remainder in 
small sums of tens and fives to other institutions, 
and do not forget the poor or the widow" 

Such was Alexander R. Thompson. But I must 
close — I have already trespassed on your time. I 
have overstated nothing. There are ample materi- 
als for saying much more in illustration of his cha- 
racter — all harmonious and consistent. 

The death of such a man is a loss to the world. 
In his death, the soldier has lost a friend- — the poor 
a benefactor — the country a defender — the army an 
intelligent, practiced, and accomplished officer — 



27 



society an ornament — the Church a member who 
carried the holy influences of the religion that is from 
above, beyond her organized boundaries — and there 
is one heart amidst the general grief, which by the 
stroke that laid him low, is bereaved of its best and 
sweetest earthly stay and solace. But, it mourns not 
as they mourn who have no hope. " Blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord, they rest from their labors, 
and their works do follow them." 

Our friend, looked forward with great desire to his 
return to the heart of his family, and the bosom of 
his church. Another event in God's unerring Pro- 
vidence has occurred. 

"Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think 
not, the Son of Man cometh" 



RC 10-5 



ADDRESS 

At time Funeral of 

LT. COL. ALEXANDER R. THOMPSON, 

OF THE U. S. ARMY, 

Delivered May 25th, 1838, 

BEFORE THE CORPS OF CADETS, 

IN THE 

CHAPEL OF THE MILITARY ACADEMY, WEST POINT, 



BY ISAAC FERRIS, D. D. 

tt 

Pastor o( Market-street Church, N. Y. 

NEW-YORK: 
PRINTED BY WILLIAM OSBORN< 
No. 88 William-street. 



1838. 



ADDRESS. 



My Friends: 

What means this slowly moving cavalcade?— 
What, these muffled drums, this reversed military 
order, this unwonted gathering in the house of God? 
. — We need not pause ; the reply is at hand. 

Death has found another victim : he has invaded 
the domestic circle, and taken a devoted son from a 
venerable, widowed mother — a faithful husband from 
an affectionate wife — He, the conqueror of conquer- 
ors, has entered the ranks of the brave, and laid low 
one who was their pride — He, has come into the 
sanctuary, and borne away to his home above, one of 
the devotees at the shrine of piety ! 

Far away from us, the victim was found, and there, 
near the field of his glory, he was laid in his tempo- 
rary grave. But affection stronger than death, has 
brought him to be buried here — amid the scenes of his 
juvenile enjoyments and pursuits, here — near the ve- 
nerable parent, who years since was taken to his home. 



4 



here — where a beloved mother, far on in the vale of 
life, seeks a resting place for her own dust, when her 
protracted pilgrimage is ended. And we have ga- 
thered to-day, to consummate fondly cherished wishes. 
Ours is a solemn work, — one, consecrated to the ten- 
derest sympathies of our nature, to affection, to Chris- 
tian feeling. 

But while thus engaged, let us seek to turn our 
present meeting to profitable account — let us seek to 
derive from the circumstances of the occasion, the 
lessons of wisdom with which it is fraught. 

Ah, how often scenes like the present prove mere 
pageants, and beyond the passing moment make no 
impression ! Often, it may be, this occurs, because in 
the subject there is nothing to produce another effect, 
for such is the influence of custom, that as regards 
outward show, as much respect is paid to the worth- 
less as the good. But here, with an imposing occa- 
sion, we have every thing in the subject, to interest 
and to benefit. Yes, our friend, though dead, yet 
speaketh. 

Do you ask me, what his case teaches ? I reply — 
Jn the first place, it teaches the reality of religion. 

The proofs of the reality of religion, are many, and 
make their appeal to our hearts, in almost every cir- 
cle-— we find them among the living, we gather them 



5 



from the dead. Would that they had their proper 
effect on every mind; unhappily, however, many 
fixing on the fact, that the large majority of those, 
who claim to have felt the power of religion, are found 
among the gentler sex, are disposed to regard it as a 
mere matter of imagination and feeling, as unsubstan- 
tial, as a fancy. Now, it might be shown conclusively, 
that this fact, that woman, in her deeper experience of 
the trials of life, clings to religion as her support, is 
sufficient proof of its reality ; for thus she is placed in 
circumstances to make full test of its claims — she has 
every opportunity to know whether it is a balm for 
every wo, and can stanch the bleeding bosom. 

But all this may be passed by, while we fix on a 
case in which all those circumstances meet, calling 
for the exercise of the cool judgment and the enlight- 
ened mind, and when in these we see the heart given 
to God, we may rest in our conclusion as perfectly 
safe. 

Is there any thing in the soldier's training, to lead 
to effeminacy of mind — to give to feeling and imagi- 
nation the ascendancy? Do not all his pursuits pro- 
mote sternness and strength of character, decision and 
firmness of purpose ? Is there not in the true soldier, 
an elevation of feeling, a loftiness of mind, which 
make him spurn all trick and play upon the fancy ? 

1* 



6 



When we see him, then, with great strength of mind, 
give his every feeling to religion- — when we see it, 
mellowing his character, imparting its peculiar spirit 
to the whole man — must we not conclude there is a 
blessed reality in it. A truly pious soldier, is one of 
the most striking attestations to the reality and power 
of religion. 

The case of our deceased friend, brings us to this 
result. His was not a mind to be kept in leading 
strings, he was no fitful creature, easily carried away 
with novelty. In connection with natural strength of 
mind, his pursuits in life, made him proof against 
mere appeals to feeling. He was not on the one hand 
to be cajoled, nor on the other hand was he to be terri- 
fied. When he took ground he did so from convic- 
tion. When we see him, then, come out on the side of 
piety, and bow his heart to its influence, and assidu- 
ously cultivate its spirit and regard its enjoyments, as 
his greatest glory, we are constrained to believe it, not 
a cunningly devised fable, not the product of a mor- 
bid imagination — but a reality, a divine reality. Any 
other conclusion than this, would be a reflection on 
him — as a man, as a high-souled soldier — a reflection, 
which all things connected with him forbid. 

Do you ask me again, what we may learn from his 
case? 



7 



I reply, in the second place — that this reality may 
be carried out in what, human calculations would call 
most unfavorable circumstances — in other words, that 
a life of piety is practicable in the most forbidding" 
situations. 

Many, very many persons, shelter themselves be- 
hind a notion, that with all their convictions of the 
reality and importance of religion, it is not practicable 
in their circumstances. They are ready to give their 
strong testimony in favor of its divine origin — they 
hesitate not to hold it to be the source of true happi- 
ness ; for they have examined its claims, or it may be 
they have seen its happy effects in the closing scene 
of some dear friend, and they would, as they aver, be 

happy themselves to be its subjects, but there 

are so many impediments they cannot think of it : 
their necessary associations are such, and such are 
their pursuits, it would be preposterous, they con- 
ceive, to undertake its duties, for certain failure would 
be the consequence, and while they would be morti- 
fied by this, religion itself would be dishonored. 
This seems plausible, and has the character of great 
ingenuousness, yet who knows not that a man will 
find means and opportunities to accomplish that, 
on which his heart is set ; so that if his heart is 
right with God, if he truly and supremely love re- 



8 



ligion, however unpropitious the aspect of his cir- 
cumstances, he will find opportunity to carry out his 
principles. What numerous and striking facts con- 
firm this ? Does a man plead the multiplicity of his 
engagements and the pressure of temporal necessity on 
him, as his excuse? Let him remember that the 
great body of piety, warm hearted, influential piety, is 
found among the laborious classes. Is he in a public 
situation, and are there, connected with it, associations 
and influences unfriendly to a meek and holy course ? 
Let him remember the case of Lord Chief Justice 
Hale, who, with all the responsibilities of his impor- 
tant office, found time for the duties of piety, and 
eminently illustrated the religion he professed — let 
him call to mind the case of the famous lawyer Sel- 
den, denominated i: the glory of the English nation" 
— let him familiarize himself with the course of Boer- 
haave and Haller, whom all Europe conspired to 
honor — let him call up the cases of the eminent John 
Locke, and the immortal Newton and Euler. But why 
should such references be multiplied ; religion claims, 
as her humble devotees, not a few of the men who 
have occupied the most responsible situations in 
society — yes, why look beyond the case before us % 

Is there any situation more unpropitious in society 
for the cultivation of piety than that of a soldier — any 



9 



place more unfriendly to devotion than a camp 7 
How much is there, in necessary associations, how 
much in the prevailing habits, how much in the 
modes of living, and how much in the pursuits of a 
soldier, to produce a recklessness of course, rather than 
the meekness, and humility, and holiness of religioiic 
But amid all that was forbidding and seductive, 
Col. Thompson earnestly sought spirituality of cha- 
racter. Few men will be found in the most favorable 
walks of life who maintain the devotional habits 
which distinguished him. He was consistent, and 
carried out the principles he professed. Did he sac- 
rifice the good will of any, by so doing ? Was he less 
esteemed? Was he less beloved — less useful — less 
valued as a soldier ? Did not the opposite consequen- 
ces follow 1 Did he not gain the confidence of all, and 
show himself worthy of all praise in his devotion to 
public duty ? His light shone with happy influence in 
every circle, and won friends for religion, while it 
added to those attached to himself. 

Happy would it be, could we see such a course 
pursued by all — happy could we see our military 
men, enrolled under the Captain of salvation, and 
shedding the benign influence of piety on situations 
regarded most unfriendly. In bravery, and skill, 
and patriotic devotion, we can ask no better, and we 



10 



only need the hallowing influence of pure and unde- 
nted religion to elevate them, to a most enviable repu- 
tation. 

Is there one of you, my friends, who feels the value 
of religion, but is constrained by the force of circum- 
stances to keep retired — let him go forward — let him 
embark at once, with all his energy, in the proper ex- 
hibition of his feelings and the principles he holds, 
and he will find that God will sustain him, and he 
will be raised above the painful drawbacks of his situ- 
ation. The promise of God, is recorded in favor of 
those who follow him fully. 

Do you ask me again what we may learn from this 
case? 

I reply, in the third place, the excellence of religion. 

The hesitating mind may say, what if it be real 
and practicable, of what avail is it ? We here turn 
to our friend. His estimation is before us, in the fact 
that he cultivated it assiduously, and clung to it as all 
his consolation : and this occurs in circumstances in ' 
which he could reduce to severe test, all that is said 
of the value of religion. 

A man's heart is given to that which he counts his 
treasure, and in proportion as a thing is his treasure, 
will he pursue it. How great a treasure piety was to 
Col. Thompson, his devotional habits tell. His diary. 



II 



or journal kept particularly while on his western and 
southern tours of duty, breathes the spirit of one who 
conversed much with God, and who found all his joy 
in such holy fellowship. And who that knew him, as 
a Christian, did not see the happy influence of this 
walking with God, in him. What a charm did piety 
impart to his character — what an elevation to his feel- 
ings — what strength to good purposes and holy prin- 
ciples ! It was this which called into delightful ex- 
ercise, the purest benevolence, this which induced 
him to seek, in usefulness to all around him, an honor 
higher than any which cometh from man. 

The death-scene of Col. Thompson, cannot but be 
regarded as truly sublime. I cannot convey the emo- 
tions excited in my own bosom, by the account of his 
steady advance in the face of danger — of his coolness 
and judgment when the instruments of death were 
flying around him — -but especially his conduct in the 
very moment of death. Hear his commanding officer 
— " although he received two balls from the fire of the 
enemy early in the action, which wounded him 
severely, yet he appeared to disregard them, and con- 
tinued to give his orders with the same coolness that 
he would have done, had his regiment been under re- 
view, or on any other parade duty. Advancing, he 
received a third ball, which at once deprived him of 



12 



life. His last words were — ( Keep steady, men — 
charge the hammock— remember the regiment to 
which you belong.'' " 

But beyond and above all this, thrilling as it is, is 
that fact, stated by his esteemed pastor, "many a 
time did he kneel by the pallet of the sick and dying 
soldier, and commend his precious soul to heaven's 
mercy." There is here an achievement of principle 
with which the former cannot compare. In the 
former, much may be set down to the spirit of the 
occasion, much to his sense of the responsibility of his 
place, and much to his natural courage. But to go 
to the sick and the dying, to weep and to pray with 
the poor soldier, to become his spiritual counsellor and 
guide ! Ah, who that knows the pride of military 
rank, and how wide and how marked the distance be- 
tween the private and the commanding officer, will 
not say here is principle, holy principle, principle de- 
rived from Him who went about doing good ! 

How broad the scale of our friend's usefulness — it 
embraced the range of two worlds, the present and 
the eternal. Think of him, under the influence of 
pious feeling, seeking to snatch the young officer from 
the vortex of ruin — interposing between the son of many- 
prayers and the syren temptations which beset him — 
think of him, making frequent peregrinations among 



IS 



the scattered inhabitants of the frontier, and far remov- 
ed from religious privileges, to distribute among them 
the bread of life — think, of him constantly remember- 
ing in his annual gifts, the distinguishing benevolent 
institutions of our country ; truly such a man is a 
blessing to the service and to every circle in which 
he moves, and such an one, religion made him. 

And now he is gone, on what does the mind most 
fondly rest ? Is it, on the soundness of his judgment ? 
Is it, on his courage and fidelity as a soldier ? These 
we admire — but do we not find our comfort and our 
peculiar satisfaction, in his Christianity ? 

And how excellent religion, as seen in the hope 
our friend cherished in view of death ? The hour of 
death, is an honest hour, and its near approach tries 
the stoutest heart. The great English dramatist has, 
with peculiar power, expressed the feelings of nature 
in view of the great change, influenced only by the 
vain imaginings of a state of ignorance— 

u Ay, but to die, and go, we know not where ; 
To lie in cold obstruction and to rot, 
This sensible, warm motion to become 
A kneaded clod ; and the delighted spirit 
To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside 
In thrilling regions of thick ribbed ice ; 
To be imprisoned in the viewless winds, 
And blown with restless violence round about 
This pendant world, or to be worse than worst 
Of those, that lawless and uncertain thoughts 
Imagine, howling—'tis too horrible ! 

2 



14 



The weariest and most loathed worldly life 
That age, ache, penury, imprisonment, 
Can lay on nature, is a paradise 
To what we fear of death." 

Men then are ready to seek the consolations of religion 
— then we hear Balaam's wish from many a tongue, 
" let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last 
end be like his." Thus their testimony is given to 
the value of religion. And well may this be the case, 
for it is the religion of the Gospel alone which sheds 
light upon the darkness of the grave— this alone? 
which secures the requisite preparations 'for the 
dark journey, and arms for the' final conflict — this 
alone, which by its plastic potency makes " death the 
crown of life." 

How vast the number, who under its heavenly in- 
fluence have found it bliss to die ! Among them now 
stands our friend. He had looked forward to the end 
— he could calmly commit all to God. His much- 
worn Bible, the companion of his wanderings, and 
especially when he sought " the forest sanctuary," 
showed that one of his last acts, before he went to his 
public duty, was consulting its sacred pages, and 
through it communing with God ; and the last per- 
ceived movements of his lips, indicated the lifting of his 
heart in prayer. We mourn over the circumstances 
which led to such a sacrifice, we anxiously cry, when, 
oh, when, shall war cease, and its instruments of death 



15 



be converted into the implements of industry ! Over 
this, he too, mourned, but circumstanced as he was, 
he could say, " I have fought the fight, I have kept 
the faith, I have finished my course, henceforth there 
is laid up for me, a crown of righteousness." And 
now exulting in eternal emancipation from sin and in- 
firmity and trial, he wears that crown, and his is the 
conqueror's song. 

To the young gentlemen of this institution the case 
we have contemplated is full of instruction, and to them 
particularly it speaks. Here, engaged as you are, our 
friend's character was formed, here the fire of patriotic 
devotion was kindled, and from this place he went 
forth to the scenes which have occupied his life and 
crowned its close. In all the joyousness of youth, and 
with high hopes he entered upon life, and after years 
of toilsome service he is no more. Behold the sum of 
your own history ! As regards this world we may 
say— 

" What though we wade in wealth or soar in fame, 
Earth's highest station ends in 1 here he lies,' 
And " dust to dust" concludes her noblest song." 

But if religion be yours, far different and infinitely 
better will be your lot ; here your path will be strewe4 
with mercies incomparably beyond the greatest gain 
of the mere man of the world, and in your departure 
yours will be an inheritance incorruptible, and that 
fadeth not. Let me solicit your attention to this mo- 



16 

mentous matter — let me second thus the appeals, 
which beloved pious friends, and in not a few cases, 
probably maternal affection have made. Go, imitate 
the excellence of our departed friend, seek peace to 
your own souls as he did, in the blood of Jesus the 
Lamb of sacrifice : cultivate the holy principles of 
that Saviour he served as the Captain of salvation — 
and like him be it yours, to scatter blessings on every 
side, — if you would be ever balmed in the purest 
affection and at the close of life wear an imperishable 
crown. 

And what consolation have these mourning friends? 
It is true, they ministered not to our fiend's last mo- 
ments, they heard not the half-uttered prayer, they 
closed not his eyes — but they have this, far more im- 
portant privilege, to know that he had found peace in 
believing, and had proved the reality and excellence 
of his hope in the midst of temptations and difficulty 
— that death did not find him unprepared. Here they 
shall not see him again ; but they shall see him here- 
after. The period is not distant, when pious friends 
shall meet to part no more. What a moment will that 
be ! Then how brief will appear the period of sepa- 
ration — then how light the afflictions which separated 
us — then all shall be well. We mourn not as those 
who have no hope — but our faith rests on the glori- 
ous prospect, and we say, " Come. Lord Jesus, come 
quickly." 




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4 




ST. AUGUSTINE 

/^§~i^ PI A 




